Morning coffee

Morning coffee

Auto-markingPencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about continuing a number pattern and finding a rule.
illustration: coffee cups and microwave
At morning tea some of the teachers at Atawhai School make their coffee in the microwave.

Question 1Change answer

It takes time to boil mugs of coffee in a microwave. This is shown in the table below.
a) Complete the table by filling in the missing entries.
Number of mugs
1
2  
3
4  
5 
Number of minutes for mugs to boil
1.5
3
4.5

Question 1Change answer

b)  Whaea Anne put some mugs of coffee into the microwave and calculated that they should take 10.5 minutes to boil.
How many mugs were there?
 
c)  Complete the rule by filling in the box below.
 
The time taken to boil any number of mugs = the number of mugs ×  minutes.
Task administration: 
This task is completed with pencil and paper or online with some auto-marking.
Copyright: 
Image: J.Fisher | Permission granted for classroom use in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Levels:
3, 4
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Number and Algebra, Patterns and relationships
Keywords: 
number patterns, rules, functional rules, linear equations
Description of task: 
Students complete a table showing times to boil different quantities of water. They identify the rule that relates the amount of water to boiling time and use it to answer questions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Patterns and relationships, sets 4-5
Patterns and relationships, sets 5-6
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
   Y6 (12/1997)
a) 6, 7.5 difficult
b) 7 difficult
c) 1.5 difficult

 

Diagnostic and formative information: 
  Student response Likely calculation Likely misconception
a) 5, 6.5
5, 5.5
5.5, 6.5		 Adds 1.5 but starts at 5 not 6.
Adds 0.5 to 4.5, i.e., 4.5, 5, 5.5 ...
Adds 1 to 4.5, i.e., 4.5, 5.5, 6.5 ...		 Wrong series.
b) 9
9.5
9		 10 - 1.5
10 - 1
10.5 - 0.5		 Subtracting rather than dividing by time to boil one cup.
c) 0.5
1, 2